Homecare Association Manifesto for Senedd elections 2026

Current projections suggest that in 40 years’ time, more than a quarter of the population in Wales will be of pension age despite increases in State Pension age. The health and care system is not coping now. In Wales, the gap between policy ambition and frontline delivery has become increasingly clear. Commitments on fair pay and better care have too often failed to translate into sustainable fee rates for providers, leaving homecare services under pressure from rising costs, inconsistent commissioning, and growing demand.

1. Home at the Heart

• Increase public awareness of the value of homecare and ensure “home first” is the default option
• Create enabling home environments with adaptations and technology solutions to support independent living
• Make homecare accessible and affordable for all

2. Power in Partnership

• Foster collaboration across social care, health, housing and voluntary sectors
• Give homecare providers a voice in regional discussions and in the National Office
• Amplify the voices of those who need and give care so they can contribute to policy and service development

3. Innovate to Improve

• Create models of homecare that prioritise prevention and address social factors to extend healthy lifespan
• Combine technology solutions and data with in-person care to personalise services, improve outcomes and evidence the value of homecare

4. Care as a Career

• Develop workforce strategy to meet rising demand
• Fund the Real Living Wage and workforce costs to avoid unintended consequences
• Ensure this funding reaches providers
• Improve pay and terms and conditions in the sector
• Parity of esteem with health colleagues

5. Invest in the Future

• Provide a multi-year funding settlement for social care, to meet future demand, improve access to care and cover the full cost of care
• Address the deficit - in 2025/26 homecare required an additional £130.6 million to deliver sustainable services
• Pool risk and find new ways to cover costs to create a simpler, fairer system that protects individuals and families

6. Commission for Value

• Enforce National Commissioning Framework
• Address fragmentation
• Commission for long-term value and outcomes, not short-term price. Stop purchasing homecare zero hours, by the minute at low fee rates
• Legislate for a National Contract for Care Services to ensure public sector commissioners cover the true cost of quality sustainable care services, with fair pay and T&Cs for care experts

7. Regulate to Protect

• Ensure rigorous, consistent, timely standards for registration and inspection
• Ensure that commissioners do not purchase unregulated care, like micro-care, primarily to reduce costs
• Register personal assistants and micro-carers with Social Care Wales

We invite you to disseminate our manifesto across your networks. Together we can reshape homecare in Wales. 

You can find the full Manifesto below.